The Art Road

“Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”

Pablo Picasso

Vancouver winters and early springs bring an abundance of rain, with heavy clouds surrounding our mountains. The wind is brisk, but not cold, and there is an invigorating moisture in the air. When I leave home, I contemplate whether I should take an umbrella or not. The day that I first discovered what I now call, The Art Road along the Vancouver Seawall, I chose my camera over umbrella.

It was a good decision…

The Vancouver Seawall from Cambie Bridge to Olympic Village had been turned into a mural extravaganza, seemingly overnight. The City of Vancouver and BC Housing created an innovative way to use art to conceal construction work. Even more exciting, they featured artwork by grade 6 and 7 students from the False Creek Elementary School.

Look closely at the artwork embedded with stories and symbolism.

An inukshuk, a landmark built for use by the Inuit, recognizing the diversity of cultural heritages.

A salmon in flight, signifying our responsibility to the environment.

Our water taxi, Aquabus, with mountains and the Burrard bridge in the background, representing the roads and waterways that connect our communities.

The Vancouver Skyline, a reminder that our city is growing and evolving.

27 Comments

And can you imagine the proud parents!!! These masterpieces continue to be on display, without any changes in the colours that usually come with the rain, wind and heat. When we value the creative spirit of children, we build a resilient society that encourages the next generation to take on the challenges and accept the opportunities that life offers. Thank you for your visit! Hugs coming your way…

Thank you for your insightful comments, Cindy. I believe that our blogging community is committed to drowning out the bad. Your posts are a testament to living with hope and expectation. I am so glad that we connected.

Oh, that is a wonderful way of thinking of how we can counteract the bad, the negative, the sadness. When we concentrate on generating good work and life- affirming conversations, we infuse the world with kindness and spirited resilience. Thank you for sharing your poetry – it has “flood-enhancing” properties.

Cities have an enormous capacity to encourage artistic endeavour. Kudos to the City of Vancouver and BC Housing for showcasing children’s art. In my recent trip to St. John’s, I was excited about finding all of the public art. I especially liked Morgan MacDonald’s “A Time.”

I agree – cities are now recognizing the importance art has on society and citizens. They are bringing art outside, encouraging artists to expand their presence. And now art galleries are making art available online with the context of Creative Commons. We live in an technology age that has a capacity to share – we just need to make the time in our busy schedules to enjoy it. Vancouver has a utility box art wrap call out. https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/utility-wrap-artist-call.aspx. Heading out to look for Utility Box Art. Thanks for all you wonderful comments – very much appreciated.

I agree wholeheartedly! Well said!! Art builds resilience and courage. In my most difficult and challenging times, I turned towards creativity. There is a family story about my father and his mother. My father, who was 18 at the time, left for WWII. It was his first time away from the home farm. When he said goodbye to his mother, the last thing he heard went he walked down the road, was his mother playing the piano. I can only imagine how she much have felt. She found comfort in the creative act of music.

Extraordinary post. Your video is really interesting, I loved it and looked at it several times. Children are so valuable in our society, it is good to see them honored in this way. They are truly artistic. I also admire the City of Vancouver and B. C. Housing for this innovative way to cover construction and to honor the art created by our young ones! !

I agree – kudos to the City of Vancouver and BC Housing. I love walking along this road. There is an optimistic energy that flows through the ribbon of art. This is our next generation, our most treasured asset.

What a wonderful celebration of the importance and value of art – and another brilliant collaboration to add to our collection! You’ll be interested to see this initiative too…. http://www.colintontunnel.org.uk/

I agree – a brilliant collaboration to add. ! I love this initiative and have added the Colinton Tunnel to our must-sees. I am now following their progress on Facebook. Thank you for the introduction!!!

Thank you for joining me on my walk along The Art Wall. It still remains ever fresh, despite the rain, wind and sun. What I love about murals is that art meets us where we are, rather than being hidden in a vault. Artists brave the elements knowing that their art may have an ending. Brave and courageous.

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Rebecca Budd

Photography - Capturing our World!

Are you creating your history?

How many photos have you taken? Do you remember the places, people, or stories behind the pictures? Photos are a record of the lives we live – they are a cultural reflection of our time in history. They are memories of who we are.